''Smiling Pets'' is a multi-artist

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

consisting of

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

cover versions of

Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...

songs from ''

Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. R ...

'' (1966) and the never-finished ''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

'' project. It was released exclusively in Japan by

Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the la ...

in March 1998.

Background

Some song titles differ from how they have been officially published by the Beach Boys. The most prominent of which is "Tones", which is a cover version of the instrumental ''Smile'' track "Holidays". Prior to ''Smiling Pets'', most ''Smile'' material was only sparsely available on the compilation '' Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys'' (1993). Because "Holidays" had not been officially released until more than a decade later on ''

The Smile Sessions ''The Smile Sessions'' is a compilation album and box set recorded by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 31, 2011, by Capitol Records. The set is the follow-up to ''The Pet Sounds Sessions'' (1997), this time focusing on ...

'' (2011), it is highly likely that unauthorized bootlegs with erroneous track lists were consulted by ''Smiling Pets'' artists. "Tones" (also known as "Tune X") was actually a working title for an entirely different composition recorded by

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

during ''Smile'' sessions. Another misleading title is "

Heroes and Villains "Heroes and Villains" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album ''Smiley Smile'' and their unfinished ''Smile (The Beach Boys album), Smile'' project. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, Wilson envisioned ...

", which can arguably be more accurately described as a reprise of " Do You Like Worms?". Tracks from this album later reappeared on individual band compilations or album reissues. "

Surfin' U.S.A. "Surfin' U.S.A." is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys, credited to Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson. It is a rewritten version of Berry's " Sweet Little Sixteen" set to new lyrics written by Wilson and an uncredited Mike Love. The s ...

" is present in complete form on

Melt-Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock and hardcore punk mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toure ...

's ''

MxBx 1998/13,000 Miles at Light Velocity ''MxBx 1998/13,000 Miles at Light Velocity'' is the first live album by Melt-Banana. The album is not a conventional "live" album: it was not recorded at a concert, but live in the studio specially for John Zorn's Tzadik Records during the band ...

'' (1999).

Secret Chiefs 3 Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American experimental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide ...

's cover versions of "

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, produced and composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. Released as a single on October 10, 1966, it achieved immediate critical and commercial success, ...

" and "Heroes and Villains" are on their compilation '' Path of Most Resistance'' (2007).

The Olivia Tremor Control The Olivia Tremor Control were an American Psychedelic music, psychedelic band from Athens, Georgia that released two studio albums, a bonus disc, a singles collection and a live album between 1996 and 2000. The main members were Will Cullen H ...

's versions of "Do You Like Worms?" and "Little Pad" were later included as bonus tracks on reissued releases of '' Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle'' (1996). An album similarly-fashioned to ''Smiling Pets'' was released two years earlier, entitled ''The Christmas Album'', which was a tribute to the compilation ''

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector ''A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records'' (later renamed ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector'', also known as ''Phil Spector's Christmas Album'') is an LP album, album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, originally rele ...

'' (1963). It was also compiled by Seiji Morita and included some of the same performers. The Ships and FORMS are aliases of the

Olivia Tremor Control The Olivia Tremor Control were an American psychedelic band from Athens, Georgia that released two studio albums, a bonus disc, a singles collection and a live album between 1996 and 2000. The main members were Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, ...

and Secret Chiefs 3, respectively. OnoTetsu is the pianist for Harpy, an experimental Japanese

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

band. Short Hair Front and Feelds were short-lived bands seemingly led by the album compiler Seiji Morita, and he is credited as

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

for their contributions "

I'm Waiting for the Day "I'm Waiting for the Day" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written primarily by Brian Wilson, the lyrics describe a man who is "waiting for the day" when the woman he loves will be ready t ...

" and "

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyrics describe the disillusionment of someone who struggles to fit into so ...

". Little is known about the album's more unrecognizable artists Sports Guitar or R. Gree & Grey Tea. They may also be pseudonyms.

Critical reception

Writing in his 2005 book about ''Smile'',

Domenic Priore Domenic Priore (born January 15, 1960) is an American author, historian and television producer whose focus is on popular music and its attendant youth culture. Biography He has written extensively about the Beach Boys' album ''Smile'', including ...

praised ''Smiling Pets'' and highlighted "Fall Breaks and Back to Winter" and "Cool, Cool Water" as stand-out tracks.

Track listing

Personnel

;Production staff *Seiji Morita – compilation producer *Masami Hatta – executive producer *Mitsuo Koike – mastering *Hideki Ohtsuka – photography *Youko Kobayashi – artwork

References

External links